Holiday Friends That Actually Stayed Friends

When you go on holiday, it happens almost instantly, doesn’t it?

Within about 24 hours, you’ve already sorted people into two very distinct groups:
The ones who irritate you… and the ones you just click with.

The kind where it feels like you didn’t just meet them—you actually went on holiday together.

That’s exactly what happened when we went to Marrakech to celebrate my 40th.

Straight away, we gelled with another couple. Well… “family” feels like a stretch, considering they left their teenage daughter at home with their parents while we turned up with our teenage son and daughter in full force. But still—instant connection.

Let’s call them Mr & Mrs H.

It started with the usual bonding rituals:
Same football team (well, the husbands anyway), shared sense of humour, and mutual appreciation for the chaos of an all-inclusive with very questionable WiFi.

And when I say questionable WiFi… I mean our teenage son was the only one who could get it.

So naturally, he became Head of Technology for the entire holiday.
Need something googling? Ask him.
Want to check anything online? Ask him.

He even generously allowed me a full hour to check my birthday messages. One whole hour. Spoilt, I know 😏

Days were spent lounging by the pool, people-watching like it was an Olympic sport, while the husbands would mysteriously disappear at key moments…

“Just popping to watch the football.”

Which, on one occasion, resulted in a romantic candlelit dinner… for my husband and Mr H—as they rushed to eat early so they could secure their spot at the bar to watch the football.

Later that evening, we found them clutching brandies, attempting what can only be described as ambitious broken German/English conversation with a group of Germans who had stolen their usual seats.

Meanwhile, the rest of us were focused on the real entertainment: the people-watching.

There was one particular lady who quickly became a bit of a legend around the hotel.
Loved by the staff… and, let’s be honest, most of the men.

She had a very enthusiastic commitment to topless sunbathing, which earned her the nickname:

“Twin Peaks.”

And honestly? The name stuck.

But then… there were the others.

Every hotel has them.

Let’s call this pair Mrs & Miss Entitlement.

Now, I happened to share a birthday with Mrs E, which I think gave them the impression we were destined to be best friends.

We weren’t.

Because these two operated on a completely different level.

We’re talking:

• Better-than-everyone energy
• And the absolute cheek to demand a bottle of champagne be sent to their room… from Mr H

I mean… the audacity.

Personally, I’d have told her exactly where to go.
Mr H, however, played along… only for us to later discover he’d actually charged it to her room.

Genius.

Well… genius until checkout.

Because when she realised what had happened, she kicked off and demanded he pay for it.

And normally? You’d stand your ground.

But when you’re about to spend four hours on a plane together…

Mr H folded.

Paid the champagne. Peace restored.

Me?
Absolutely not. I’d have dug my heels in all the way home.

Miss Entitlement, meanwhile, spent most of the holiday drunk, loudly bad mouthing  her husband back home, and getting very friendly with the entertainment team.

Which, to be fair, provided top-tier people-watching all week… much to her mother’s ongoing horror.

And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse… she earned herself another nickname:

“Licky Face.”

I’ll let you paint the picture—but let’s just say it involved one of the entertainment team and a level of enthusiasm that no one was quite prepared for.

Honestly… you couldn’t make it up.

But here’s the thing.

The Entitlements made for great entertainment…
but Mr & Mrs H?

They were the real highlight.

Because the right holiday people don’t just make your trip better—they stick.

We’re still friends now, 10 years on.
We meet up regularly, and it’s like we’re right back in that all-inclusive in Marrakech.

Only now… their daughter—who’s basically one of ours—is finally allowed to come along too.

And somehow, what started as a chance meeting in the bar…

Turned into one of those rare friendships that lasts long after the tan fades.